Is eating healthy, losing weight or exercise most important for a healthy heart?

According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for heart disease prevention it may be more important for a woman to be fit and healthy than thin.

After a four year study of over 900 women (76% were overweight), Dr. Timothy Wessel of the University of Florida came to a conclusion; “Our study shows that the lack of physical fitness is a stronger risk factor for developing heart disease than being overweight or even obese.”

Exercise vs Weight Loss Heart Research

During the study, 50% of the women suffered coronary related problems such as a heart attack or stroke. Researchers then analyzed the results by categories of weight and activity.

They discovered that the women who were more active on a regular basis, no matter how much they weighed, tended to eat healthier and had healthier hearts than the less active women.

And you don’t have to join a health club or start running marathons. Just increase your regular physical activity – even if it’s just something simple like walking up a flight of stair or around the block every day. The bottom line is – exercise benefits many factors related to your heart.

And, of course, the benefits of regular physical activity even include weight loss!

That’s why the American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous exercise five days a week or more, for both prevention and treatment of heart disease.

But even though physical activity may be more important than weight loss as a preventive and treatment factor for heart disease, being overweight or obese is still a risk factor.

And maintaining a healthy normal weight also reduces your risk of many other health conditions, including osteoarthritis, psychological disorders and even some types of cancer. So it’s to your advantage to know the answer to “How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?”

Because, when you get right down to it, to live a long, healthy, satisfying life, the solution is still the same. Eat right, exercise daily, reach and maintain a healthy weight and be happy!